[Linn]

Hi :-)

I am so glad to have found this forum. I was searching for info about Chronic Carotidynia, and I found a thread about that, and it felt nice to hear others' stories about this confusing and not-very-fun condition.

I have lived with this, which also includes a number of other well-diagnosed conditions, for a couple of decades, now, and I've reached the point in the last ten years that I truly see it as a blessing in my life. It is extremely painful, frustrating, and horribly limiting in almost every way, don't get me wrong. But, I don't believe that life is supposed to be "perfect" or a homogeneous experience or else we are sub-par, and learning to live with this pain and lack of control over my day to day reality has allowed me a perspective and insight that I KNOW I would not have achieved otherwise. As far as "quality of life" goes, I have completely redefined that to mean the joy I am able to find in every day and every person, instead of the little controls we assume over our living conditions, careers, and even bodies that many/most people take for granted.

I have spent a lot of years finding "solutions" to functioning with the pain and limitations, and I hope to hear other people's ideas. To me, this is about mechanics, now, mostly, and I believe that the key to creative solutions is sharing as much as possible. I hope that I can be a resource for other people who have similar mechanical problems.

Most of all, it felt so good to hear the stories of people who have similar experiences as I do. It felt like finding a "home". I am looking forward to becoming a part of this community :-).

Linn